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28 Million and Rising

We again ask Massport to pay close attention to the increasing difficulties that come with servicing 28 million passengers coming and going from Logan Airport in a single year.

That number will easily reach 30 million in the next three to five years and if the economy grows as expected, that number will be reached before that time passes.

The problem with the increasing numbers is that it means increased flights, increased pollution, increased traffic and increased possibilities of terrorist incursions by those determined to disrupt our way of life.

All of this, quite reasonably, adds up to an unsustainable situation.

For instance, the day is not going to come when Logan greets and says goodbye to 50 million passengers in a single year.

What is the impact of such a number on this community?

At that point, the soot and pollution from so many planes landing so many millions people in this tight spot will cause every kind of medical inconvenience to residents here and in many, many cases, shortened life spans and even death from a variety of respiratory illnesses.

The car, bus, limousine, bus and train traffic will be too much to sustain – and the simple act of supplying the airports vendors at the 50 million passenger figure will not leave enough room for them even to park to deliver their goods.

The airport, Massport and East Boston residents are running out of time to deal with the realities of our future.

We would ask Senator Anthony Petruccelli, Representative Carlo Basile, and City Councilor Sal LaMattina to order a series of public meetings with residents and the leadership at Massport to discuss very simply, the future.

House Speaker Robert DeLeo might well do this community a favor by doing the same.